Review of the flagship version – Samsung Galaxy S6 EDGE (SM-G925F). Quick review of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge smartphone OS and software

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is a flagship smartphone of a well-known brand, the characteristic feature of which is a curved screen at the edges, as evidenced by the word “edge” in the name. The new sleek model features an aluminum body, and the front and back panels are protected by tempered Corning Gorilla Glass 4. The phone fits quite comfortably in the palm of your hand, although it is not always convenient to operate it with one hand.

By technical specifications Samsung GALAXY S6 Edge SM-G925F 32Gb LTE Black It copies its brother S6 in almost everything (without the “edge” in the name): a new fast eight-core Exynos 7420 processor with a clock frequency of 2.1 GHz, a Mali-T760 video accelerator and 3 GB random access memory(DDR4) with very high throughput at 3.2 Gb/s. Internal memory capacity – 32 GB. Android 5 Lollipop OS with TouchWiz proprietary interface is responsible for control.

A clear and bright “picture” is provided by a Samsung SuperAMOLED screen with a diagonal of 5.1 inches and a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and a high image density of 577 ppi. There are automatic brightness adjustments and several preset display settings. The curved part of the screen can display various notifications and display the clock and date.

The phone's communication capabilities are varied: Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth, microUSB and NFC, 4G (LTE), there is also navigation with using GPS and GLONASS. The infrared port allows you to control household appliances.

The main camera uses a 16 megapixel Sony module with the ability to shoot video in UHD format and with optical stabilization. The front camera (5 MP) allows you to take self-portraits and communicate via Skype.

Samsung GALAXY S6 Edge SM-G925F 32Gb LTE Black has a function fast charging battery, and the wireless charger allows the use of both proprietary “charging” and devices from other manufacturers.

The device is equipped with a heart rate sensor (with the S Health app), and a fingerprint sensor is built into the physical Home button on the front panel.

With an average load, the non-removable 2600 mAh battery allows the smartphone to work for about 20 hours.

One of the most attractive and powerful models of the new season

Along with the updated model of the flagship smartphone Galaxy S6, the Korean company Samsung introduced last spring its more unusual modification called the Galaxy S6 Edge. This model is unusual precisely because of its screen: developing the theme once started in the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, there is also a lateral bend of the display and, accordingly, the front glass itself. Only, unlike its predecessor, here there is curvature on both sides, the glass in this case is symmetrical. At the same time, the back side, also covered with a glass panel, remains absolutely flat, which introduces a slight dissonance, but at the same time some freshness into the design.

In addition to the eye-catching design, the new representatives of the flagship Galaxy S6 line can boast of Samsung's own advanced hardware platform in many respects, demonstrating the highest level of performance still unattainable by competing solutions. Overall, the new Galaxy S6 series smartphones are a great combination of beauty and power. We have already examined the main and more familiar “flat” version in detail in the corresponding review, now it’s time to carefully examine its “curved” modification. It should be noted that the two Galaxy S6 models are similar in most parameters and characteristics, so much of this review will seem familiar to our readers who have not missed the review Samsung Galaxy S6.

Video review

First, we suggest watching our video review of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge smartphone:

Now let's take a look at the characteristics of the new product.

Main characteristics of Samsung Galaxy S6 (model SM-G925F)

• SoC Exynos 7420 (64-bit), two clusters of four processor cores: ARM Cortex-A57 with a frequency of 2.1 GHz and ARM Cortex-A53 with a frequency of 1.5 GHz
• GPU Mali-T760
• operating room Android system 5.0 Lollipop
• Touch Dual Edge Super AMOLED display, 5.1″, 2560×1440
• Random access memory (RAM) 3 GB LPDDR4
• Inner memory 32, 64 or 128 GB
• Slot for microSD cards absent
• Communication GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
• Communication 3G WCDMA 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz
• Data transfer speed max 4G LTE Cat6 up to 300 Mbps
• Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5 GHz) HT80 MIMO, point Wi-Fi access
• Bluetooth 4.1, NFC
• IR port, USB OTG
• GPS/A-GPS, Glonass, BDS
• Position, proximity, lighting, barometer, fingerprint sensor, Hall and heart rate sensors
• Camera 16 MP (F1.9), optical stabilization, autofocus, LED flash
• Camera 5 MP (F1.9), front
• Battery 2600 mAh, non-removable
• Wireless charging support
• Dimensions 142×70×7 mm
• Weight 132 g

Appearance and ease of use

You can praise or scold new design updated line of top-end smartphones for Koreans, some people liked it (and there are really a lot of such people), some are not delighted with such drastic changes (and they can also be understood), but the fact remains: the company’s designers have made a giant qualitative leap and managed to raise the image component of their products to a completely different level. As they say, you meet people by their clothes, and these same “clothes” on the new smartphones of the Korean company are now, if not chic, then certainly expensive and flashy. From glossy plastic and plastic that imitates metal, the developers have finally moved on to truly respectable premium materials, such as tempered glass and real metal, and they, I must say, have succeeded.

If we ignore the obsessive thought that the design option, implying two glass halves of the case connected by a metal rim, is not only not new, but even quite hackneyed and hackneyed (before Samsung, it seems, most manufacturers from Sony to Huawei), then such changes in the appearance of the popular line of smartphones can only be welcomed. The Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge smartphones have definitely begun to look more respectable, expensive, impressive, and even somewhat noble. In any case, now these devices look quite decent in any, even the most expensive, environment.

As for ergonomics, in this case it fades into the background and modestly falls silent - now it was not given the floor. Amid admiration for the beauty and quality of workmanship, users try not to think that glass is a rather fragile material that easily cracks when dropped on a hard surface, and that thin metal edges coupled with smooth glass panels in the Samsung Galaxy The S6 Edge is so slippery that it’s even scary to take the smartphone out of your pocket on the street. Perhaps the S6 Edge, with its curved glass and thin sides, can rightfully be called the slipperiest smartphone of our time.

In addition, it is also worth noting that everyone who first picked up the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge (in the switched off state) just wanted to turn it over in their hand, turning the device with the flat back wall up, and take the curved front panel with sloping sides in the palm, because It would be more convenient that way.

Otherwise, there are no complaints about the external structure of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge case: the smartphone is not so large in size when compared with many modern tablet phones, it fits quite easily in an average-sized hand, the weight and thickness of the case are comfortable. The assembly does not cause any complaints, everything is well fitted, although perfectionists have already noted the fact that the developers managed to place all the elements on the case, such as buttons, microphone holes, speaker grilles and card slots, crookedly relative to the central axis. What’s also not surprising is the fact that most of the surface, not counting the thin metal side frame, turned out to be extremely scratchy - the glass on both sides instantly becomes covered with fingerprints, which irritates many. On the other hand, hiding such beauty in a case is somehow blasphemous, you have to put up with it, at least at first.

As for the mentioned hardware control elements, their location on the case is as follows: the power and lock buttons logically took their rightful place in the upper half of the right side edge, the volume keys are symmetrically placed on the opposite edge. It should be noted that for the first time, Samsung threw away the last restrictions and broke the single volume rocker into two separate buttons - now, in this regard, Korean smartphones are indistinguishable from the Apple iPhone.

The main speaker grille is made in the form of an array of round holes and is logically placed at the bottom end. This part of the case is loaded to the brim with elements: in addition to the speaker grille, there are also Micro-USB connectors and an audio output for a headphone minijack (3.5 mm). These elements, as mentioned above, unlike the iPhone, for some reason turned out to be shifted relative to the central longitudinal axis, which looks somehow sloppy and unfinished.

On the opposite, upper end, in addition to a small IR port window and an auxiliary microphone hole, there is a slot for a Nano-SIM format SIM card. The card slide, which is somehow undignifiedly made of plastic, is usually removed by pressing a secret button using a key or a paper clip. The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge smartphone does not have a slot for a second SIM card, as well as for a memory card.

The front of the smartphone is completely covered protective glass Gorilla Glass 4. To the left of the earpiece grille you can see the LED notification indicator; its large dot shines in different colors, notifying you about charging status and incoming events. The operation of the indicator can be controlled through the corresponding settings section.

At the bottom, under the screen, there is the usual oval mechanical key and two touch buttons on either side of it. Touch buttons have a bright white backlight. A fingerprint scanner is integrated into the central key, which has undergone some changes for the better. Now you don’t need to run your finger over it - a simple touch is enough, this is more convenient than the option implemented in previous models of the series.

The device supports wireless charging, compatible with WPC 1.1 (output power 4.6 W) and PMA 1.0 (4.2 W) standards. The smartphone is not protected from dust and moisture, and there is no fastening for a strap on the case either.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, like its “flat” brother, the regular S6, is available in several bright body colors, and, unlike the regular S6, only the curved version has a green color option, which received the corporate name “Noble Emerald” . Perhaps the element of novelty and surprise plays a role here, but it was this iridescent greenish hue that attracted the most attention from the public. Many of those who liked it more regular version Galaxy S6, they even regret that the green version is not available to them. In addition to green, the Galaxy S6 Edge smartphone is available in black (dark blue), white and gold color options.

Screen

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge smartphone is equipped with touch screen Super AMOLED, protected by Gorilla Glass 4, which was specially given unusual shape with curved edges (Dual Edge). It should be noted that despite the physical curvature of the screen, there are, however, no separate side matrices on the bevels, as was implemented in the case of the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge. That is, the display here is a single whole, although with the help software the curved edges of the screen can actually carry additional load, acting as separate side mini-displays.

The physical dimensions of the display are 63x113 mm, diagonal - 5.1 inches. The screen resolution in pixels is 2560x1440, so the pixel density is very high and equal to 577 ppi.

The frame around the screen is quite thin: the distance from the edge of the case to the edge of the screen on the sides is about 3 mm. It should be noted that it is this frame that accounts for most of the curved surface of the glass - the screen itself bends quite a bit, only a couple of millimeters at its edges. The concerns of some users about accidental clicks on the curved edges of the display that are right under their fingers have not been confirmed. You can feel some inconvenience and achieve accidental clicks only during special experiments, but in ordinary life, almost no unintended clicks were noticed.

The display brightness has manual and automatic adjustment, the latter based on the operation of the light sensor. There is also a proximity sensor that blocks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear. Multi-touch technology allows you to process 10 simultaneous touches.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections, Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the sample under study.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. (However, in addition to the bend towards the edges, we also note some smoothed unevenness of the outer surface.) Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are no worse than those of the screen of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected when the screens are turned off (on the left is Nexus 7, on the right is Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, then they can be distinguished by size):

The screen of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is slightly darker (the brightness in the photographs is 93 versus 96 for the Nexus 7, the glare curved edges of the tested screen are excluded) and does not have a pronounced tint. Note that the reflection from bright objects in the screen of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge has a pale bluish halo, more pronounced in the transverse direction. The ghosting of reflected objects on the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge screen is very weak, indicating that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen. Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass/air type) with very different refractive indices, screens without an air gap look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. On the outer surface of the screen of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (effective, but it seems a little worse than that of the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much more easily and appear at a slower rate than with regular glass .

When the white field was displayed in full screen and with manual brightness control, its maximum value was 340 cd/m², the minimum was 1.4 cd/m². You also need to take into account the fact that in this case, the smaller the white area on the screen, the brighter it is, that is, the actual maximum brightness of the white areas will almost always be higher than the specified value. As a result, readability during the day in the sun should be at a fairly good level (there was no opportunity to test it). The reduced brightness level allows you to use the device even in complete darkness without any problems. Automatic brightness adjustment works based on the light sensor (it is located to the left of the front speaker slot). You can make adjustments to the operation of this function by moving the settings slider. Below, for three conditions, we present the screen brightness values ​​for three values ​​of this setting - for 0%, 50% and 100%. In complete darkness in automatic mode, the brightness is reduced to 1.4, 6.5 and 15 cd/m², respectively (the first and second are too dark, the third is normal), in an office illuminated by artificial light (approximately 400 lux) the brightness is set to 50 , 130 and 250 cd/m² (dark is just right - a little bright, which corresponds to the given correction), in a brightly lit environment (corresponds to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) - increases to 340 cd/m² regardless of slider position. This value is equal to the maximum for manual adjustment. If you increase the brightness of external illumination (in the area of ​​the light sensor) to somewhere around hundreds of thousands of lux (corresponding to direct sunlight), then the screen brightness increases to 550 cd/m². This brightness should definitely be enough for the image on the screen to be clearly visible in any natural conditions. In general, the result of the automatic brightness adjustment function is as expected. At any brightness level there is significant modulation with a frequency of 237.5 Hz. The figure below shows the dependence of brightness (vertical axis) on time ( horizontal axis) for several brightness settings:

It can be seen that at maximum and close to it brightness, the modulation amplitude is not very large, and as a result, there is no visible flicker. However, as the brightness decreases, modulation with a large relative amplitude appears. Therefore, the presence of such modulation can already be seen in a test for the presence of a stroboscopic effect or simply with rapid eye movement. Depending on individual sensitivity, this flickering may cause increased fatigue.

This screen uses a Super AMOLED matrix - an active matrix on organic light-emitting diodes. A full-color image is created using subpixels of three colors - red (R), green (G) and blue (B), but there are twice as many green subpixels, which can be referred to as RGBG. This is confirmed by a fragment of a microphotograph:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

In the fragment above you can count 4 green subpixels, 2 red (4 halves) and 2 blue (1 whole and 4 quarters), and by repeating these fragments, you can lay out the entire screen without breaks or overlap. For such matrices, Samsung introduced the name PenTile RGBG. The manufacturer calculates the screen resolution based on the green subpixels; based on the other two, it will be two times lower. The location and shape of the subpixels in this version is close to the case of the screen of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and some other newer ones Samsung devices(and not only) with AMOLED screens. This version of PenTile RGBG is better than the old one with red squares, blue rectangles and stripes of green subpixels. However, some unevenness of contrast borders and other artifacts are still present. However, due to the very high resolution, they have a minimal impact on image quality.

The screen is characterized by excellent viewing angles, although the white color, when deviated even at small angles, alternately acquires a light blue-green and pinkish tint, but the black color is simply black at any angle. So black that the contrast setting is not applicable in this case. When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the white field is excellent. For comparison, here are photos in which the screens of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge (profile Movie AMOLED) and the second comparison participant displayed the same images, while the brightness of the screens was initially set to approximately 200 cd/m², and color balance on the camera it is forcibly switched to 6500 K. White field:

We note the excellent uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field (with the exception of darkening and changes in hue towards the curved edges). And a test picture (profile Basic):

Color rendition is good, the colors are moderately saturated, the color balance of the screens varies slightly. Note that in this case, the image occupies the height (at this screen orientation) of the entire area available for image display and extends onto the curved edges of the screen, which leads to darkening and color distortion. Also, in the light, these areas almost always glare, which makes it even more difficult to view images displayed on the entire screen. And even the picture of films with an aspect ratio of 16:9 bends, which greatly interferes with watching movies. The photo above was taken after selecting a profile Basic in the screen settings, there are four of them:

Profile Adaptive display differs in some kind of automatic adjustment to the type of displayed image and environmental conditions, which is obtained by selecting the two remaining profiles shown below.

Movie AMOLED:

Saturation and color contrast are noticeably increased.

Photo AMOLED:

Saturation is still high, but color contrast is closer to normal. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen (profile Movie AMOLED). White field:

The brightness at an angle for both screens has noticeably decreased (to avoid strong darkening, the shutter speed has been increased compared to previous photographs), but in the case of Samsung the drop in brightness is much less pronounced. As a result, with formally the same brightness, the screen of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge visually looks much brighter (compared to LCD screens), since you often have to look at the screen of a mobile device from at least a slight angle. And a test picture:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens and the brightness of the Samsung at an angle is noticeably higher. Switching the state of the matrix elements is performed almost instantly, but at the switching edge there may be a step with a width of approximately 17 ms (which corresponds to a screen refresh rate of 59 Hz). For example, this is what the dependence of brightness on time looks like when moving from black to white and back:

In some conditions, the presence of such a step can lead to plumes trailing behind moving objects. However, dynamic scenes in films on OLED screens are distinguished by high clarity and even some “jerky” movements.

For profiles Photo AMOLED And Basic constructed using 32 points with equal intervals based on the numerical value of the shade of gray, the gamma curve did not reveal any blockage in either highlights or shadows, and the index of the approximating power function is 2.39, which is higher than the standard value of 2.2 (therefore the image is slightly darkened) , while the real gamma curve deviates little from the power-law dependence (the captions in parentheses show the exponent of the approximating power function and the coefficient of determination):

For profile Movie AMOLED The gamma curve has a pronounced S-shaped character, which increases the visible contrast of the image, but in the shadows the distinguishability of shades remains.

Let us recall that in the case of OLED screens, the brightness of image fragments dynamically changes in accordance with the nature of the displayed image - it decreases for generally light images. As a result, the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) most likely slightly does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential display of shades of gray on almost the entire screen.

Color gamut in the case of a profile Movie AMOLED very wide, it almost covers the Adobe RGB gamut:

When selecting a profile Photo AMOLED coverage is adjusted to Adobe RGB boundaries:

When selecting a profile Basic coverage is compressed almost to the sRGB boundaries:

Without correction, the spectra of the components are very well separated:

In case of profile Basic with maximum correction, the color components are already noticeably mixed with each other:

Note that on screens with a wide color gamut, without appropriate correction, the colors of regular images optimized for sRGB devices appear unnaturally saturated. Hence the recommendation - in most cases, watching movies, photographs and everything natural is better when choosing a profile Basic, and only if the photo was taken on Adobe installation RGB, it makes sense to switch the profile to Photo AMOLED. Profile Movie AMOLED, despite the name, is the least suitable for watching movies or anything else.

The grayscale balance is good. Color temperature in profile Movie AMOLED above 6500 K, in the remaining two - close to 6500 K, while in a significant area of ​​the gray scale this parameter does not change very much, which improves the visual perception of color balance. The deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) over most of the gray scale remains below 10 units, which is considered a good indicator for a consumer device, but the fluctuations of this parameter are already large:

(The darkest areas of the gray scale can in most cases be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

Let's summarize. The screen has a high maximum brightness and has good anti-glare properties, so the device can be used outdoors even on a sunny summer day without any problems. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. It is acceptable (and in bright light it is necessary) to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works quite adequately. The advantages of the screen include a good oleophobic coating, as well as a color gamut close to sRGB and an acceptable color balance (if you select the appropriate profiles). At the same time, let us remind you about the general advantages of OLED screens: true black color (if nothing is reflected in the screen), excellent uniformity of the white field, noticeably less than that of LCDs, and a drop in image brightness when viewed at an angle. Disadvantages include modulation of screen brightness. For users who are particularly sensitive to flicker, this may cause increased fatigue. However, overall the screen quality is very high. Separately, we note that from the point of view of image quality, curved edges are only harmful, since this design discovery introduces very noticeable distortions of the color tone and reduces the brightness at the edges of the picture, and also leads to inevitable glare in ambient light conditions along at least one long side screen.

Sound

The sound of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is more than decent; the device sounds like a true flagship of the highest level should sound. Despite the lack of stereo speakers, the sound, nevertheless, the device produces is very loud, rich in the entire spectrum of frequencies, including low ones. At the maximum volume level, almost no distortion was noticed, nor any wheezing. The smartphone sounds really nice, there are no complaints at all. The speaker grille is located at the bottom end, so the sound is not blocked when the smartphone is lying on a hard surface. In conversational dynamics, the voice of a familiar interlocutor, timbre and intonation remain recognizable, the conversation is quite comfortable.

With headphones, the smartphone also sounds at the level of modern flagships; to play melodies, a proprietary player with a maximum number of settings is used as standard. All sound effects are combined with a technology called SoundAlive - although some of them are only available with connected headphones. The same applies to the sound optimization function. For manual settings An equalizer with preset values ​​is available, as well as separate controls for bass and treble.

Traditionally, there is no FM radio included in the standard configuration of a smartphone, but there is a voice recorder. In addition to the voice recorder standard mode There are also specific “interviews” and “voice notes” - all this is already familiar to us from previous models in the series. Telephone conversations The smartphone cannot record from the line.

Camera

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is equipped with two digital camera modules with a resolution of 16 and 5 megapixels. The front camera here is equipped with a 5-megapixel module with a lens with an f/1.9 aperture; it shoots video at a maximum QHD resolution (2560×1440). You can take pictures with the front camera without touching the screen, using an open palm gesture or a voice command. You can also take your own self-portrait by touching your finger to the heart rate sensor located on the back of the smartphone.

The main 16-megapixel camera has an f/1.9 aperture lens, autofocus tracking, optical image stabilization (OIS) and a single LED flash. There is an opinion that sensors can be used in different copies of the same model different manufacturers- both Sony IMX240 and Samsung ISOCELL. Quick start camera is possible by double-clicking on the central hardware key under the screen.

The camera settings are combined into a long scroll, in addition to the usual automatic mode and manual settings mode, here you can also select panoramic, selective focus mode, as well as fast and slow video modes. Not really added normal mode so-called virtual shooting to create a multi-angle view of objects.

Video samsung camera The Galaxy S6 Edge can shoot in resolutions up to 4K (UHD). As always, the option of shooting at 60 fps, with a resolution of 1920x1080 (Full HD), is very interesting. The camera copes perfectly with any options; there are no complaints about the quality of the resulting video image. The quality of video recording can be judged by test videos.

• Video No. 1 (31 MB, 1920×1080 @60 fps)
• Video No. 2 (54 MB, 3840×2160 @30 fps)

	Good sharpness across the entire frame.
	The camera works quite well with shadows.
	Sharpness practically does not decrease with the removal of the shot, but a certain soapiness of the image as a whole becomes more noticeable.
	Good detail work, although the soapiness mentioned above spoils them a little.
	The colors of the sky and buildings are quite even.
	The shadows are well done. In distant plans, the blur of small details becomes clearly visible.
	Due to the soapiness, the license plates of remote vehicles are difficult to distinguish.

As in many modern smartphones, HDR mode can be set to automatic without turning it on forcibly. In this case, the duration of the photo creation does not increase, but the images often look more interesting.

Auto mode	Auto HDR

We also tested the camera on a laboratory bench using our method.

The pictures look very decent, although there are some small disappointments: many images are slightly washed out, which is why detail suffers, and noise is not always processed accurately.

It would seem that the program in the camera should be the same as in the S6, but the firmware version indicated in EXIF ​​looks newer, and the camera shoots noticeably worse. However, “noticeably” is still too strong a word, since the difference is clearly visible only in a laboratory test. In the field photographs of the S6 Edge, there is a certain soapiness that hides the details, but in the S6 photographs it was also observed, although it was much less pronounced. I can’t help but feel that the programmers wanted to improve the processing, but it turned out “as always,” since the camera modules of these smartphones are clearly the same.

However, our S6 Edge sample looked better, at least due to the absence of the blurred area on the right, noted in the S6 sample. But objective tests do not allow us to distinguish the S6 Edge either from other smartphones or from its less shocking brother. Although the pictures look very good, they don't stand up to comparison with the LG G4, which was tested under exactly the same conditions at the same time. It is possible that such soapiness will be eliminated in production samples, but this is doubtful, and sales are already in full swing.

As a result, the camera is quite suitable for documentary and art photography; moreover, detail noticeably suffers only in distant plans.

Telephone and communications

The smartphone works as standard in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks, and also has support for fourth-generation LTE Cat6 networks with a maximum possible reception speed of up to 300 Mbit/s. In practice, with a SIM card from the domestic operator MTS, the smartphone confidently recognizes and works with 4G networks.

Rest networking opportunities The smartphone is also excellent: it supports NFC technology, Bluetooth 4.1 supports A2DP, LE, apt-X, ANT+ profiles. Wi-Fi module 802.11n/ac, HT80 MIMO (2×2, up to 620 Mbit/s) supports operation in both frequency ranges(2.4 and 5 GHz) and Wi-Fi Direct technology, you can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth channels. It is possible to connect external devices to USB port in OTG mode.

The navigation module works with both GPS and the domestic Glonass system, and also sees satellites of the Chinese Beidou (BDS). There are no complaints about the navigation module; a cold start occurs within a minute or less. The device is also equipped with a magnetic field sensor, on the basis of which the compass of navigation programs operates.

OS and software

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge runs on the fifth version of Android OS with the proprietary TouchWiz shell installed on top of it. A new version TouchWiz is installed in both S6 models, absolutely the same; you can read more about all its capabilities in the Samsung Galaxy S6 review.

The only difference in the interface in the modification for the S6 Edge is a special menu section dedicated to settings for working with a curved screen. The device can turn on the backlight of the side of the display, thus duplicating the alert sensor when receiving calls or notifications. This side of the screen is also used to display individual favorite contacts placed in multi-colored circles and, accordingly, work with them. When calls and messages arrive, the edge will light up in the exact color that was assigned to a specific contact - all this is configured in the menu of a feature called People Edge. In addition, the side screen can display a scrolling information feed with news received from subscribed channels, as well as a clock in night mode. The idea looks quite fresh, and perhaps even saves battery energy, but whether this function will actually be in demand by device owners, time will tell.

With the updates came another new feature that Samsung introduced after the announcement of the Galaxy S6 models: a data transfer service called Smart Switch. The Smart Switch app for PC and Mac is designed to sync data using iTunes, as well as for devices based on operating systems Blackberry and Windows. Smart Switch allows you to transfer contacts, text messages, photos, music, videos, calendar data, call logs, notes, alarms, Wi-Fi settings and even wallpapers to your Samsung Galaxy smartphones. iOS users have the opportunity to transfer music purchased from iTunes to a Samsung Galaxy device. To transfer personal data from Android smartphones(version 4.0 or higher) you need to install the application on both devices and use the Wi-Fi Direct function for wireless transmission. iOS users will also be able to use USB cable OTG ( iOS version 5.0 and higher).

Performance

The hardware platform of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is based on a single-chip system (SoC) of Samsung's own Exynos 7420, produced according to 14-nanometer standards technological process. The configuration of this single-chip system includes two clusters of four cores: ARM Cortex-A57 with a frequency of 2.1 GHz and ARM Cortex-A53 with a frequency of 1.5 GHz. The GPU is a Mali T760 video accelerator. The smartphone has 3 GB of RAM (LPDDR4 is used). Internal memory is implemented on drives that meet the UFS 2.0 specification. Flash memory capacity is 32, 64 or 128 GB. In the case of a model with a minimum volume, about 25 GB of the nominally designated 32 GB is initially available to the user. There is no possibility of expansion through memory cards, but it supports connecting devices, including flash drives, to the USB port in OTG mode.

Below are thermal images of the rear surface (top left in the image), obtained after 10 minutes of battery testing in the GFXBenchmark program:

The specularity of the back surface leads to the fact that surrounding objects are reflected in it (in particular, the screen of the tablet that was used to shoot, and what is reflected in this screen). However, it can be seen that the heating is highly localized towards the edge in the area of ​​the power button, which apparently corresponds to the location of the SoC chip. According to the heat camera, the maximum heating was 44 degrees.

According to the testing results, the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge hardware platform demonstrated such high results that it supplanted all previous record holders without exception, including Meizu MX4 and Samsung Galaxy Note 4, which took first place in the AnTuTu test for quite a long time.

As a result, Samsung has given the world another record holder in terms of power - a reference smartphone that people will look up to, try to catch up with, and match throughout the entire season. The device is extremely productive, the capabilities built into it will be enough for a long time to complete any assigned tasks, including the most demanding games.

Testing in latest versions comprehensive tests AnTuTu and GeekBench 3:

All the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the most latest versions popular benchmarks, we have summarized them in tables for convenience. The table usually adds several other devices from different segments, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry figures). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison it is impossible to present the results from different versions benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” - due to the fact that at one time they passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions test programs.

Testing the graphics subsystem in gaming tests 3DMark, GFXBenchmark and Bonsai Benchmark:

When testing in 3DMark, the most powerful smartphones now have the ability to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).

Browser cross-platform tests:

As for benchmarks for assessing the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowance for the fact that their results significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this is possible during testing not always. For Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.

Playing video

To test omnivorousness when playing video (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, for example subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Web. Note that for mobile devices It is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern options using processor cores alone. Also, you shouldn’t expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a single table.

According to the testing results, the subject was not equipped with all the necessary decoders that are needed to fully play most of the most common multimedia files on the network. To successfully play them, you will have to resort to the help of a third-party player - for example, MX Player. True, it is also necessary to change the settings and manually install additional custom codecs, because now this player does not officially support the AC3 sound format.

¹ sound in MX Video Player was played only after installing an alternative custom audio codec; The standard player does not have this setting

Tested video output features Alexey Kudryavtsev.

MHL interface, like Mobility DisplayPort we are in this smartphone We didn’t find it, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Methodology for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices) 720/24p

Note: If in both columns Uniformity And Passes Green ratings are given, this means that, most likely, when watching films, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and frame skipping will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems with playback of the corresponding files.

According to the criterion of frame output, the quality of playback of video files on the screen of the device itself is good, since frames (or groups of frames) can be output with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without skipping frames. With the exception of 60 fps files, one frame is always skipped due to the strange screen refresh rate of 59 Hz. It seems that someone is Samsung is engaged in sabotage and in recent versions of AMOLED screens deliberately reduced the refresh rate relative to the typical 60 Hz. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 (1080p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen, going to the bends. The clarity of the picture is high, but not ideal, since there is no escape from interpolation to the screen resolution. However, for the sake of experimentation, you can switch to the one-to-one mode by pixel; there will be no interpolation, but the features of PenTile will appear - the vertical world through the pixel will be in a grid, and the horizontal one will be slightly greenish. This is on test worlds; the described artifacts are not present on real frames. The brightness range displayed on the screen actually corresponds to standard range 16-235 - in the shadows only a couple of shades merge with black, but in the highlights all gradations of shades are displayed.

Battery life

The capacity of the built-in non-removable battery installed in the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is far from a record - only 2600 mAh, although this is even slightly more than that of the “flat” version of the S6. However, despite the most powerful platform and a fairly large five-inch screen, the smartphone proved itself more than worthy in terms of durability battery life. Currently, Samsung flagships not only show the best autonomy in the top segment among their peers, but also demonstrate enviable consistency in this matter, which cannot be said about many other manufacturers. For example, LG's G2 device was simply excellent in terms of autonomy, but with the release of each subsequent model, this figure, unfortunately, becomes worse and worse. The same can be said about the NTS flagships.

It should be noted that the device settings traditionally contain two proprietary energy saving modes: normal and extreme. The maximum energy saving mode significantly reduces energy consumption by turning off non-essential functions and preserving vital functions at the moment, as well as for visual effect, converting the image on the screen to black and white.

Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd/m²) lasted about 19 hours until the battery was completely discharged. When watching videos continuously high quality(720p) with the same brightness level via home Wi-Fi network The device lasted more than 12 hours. In 3D gaming mode the device worked for almost 4 hours. The smartphone supports fast charging technology, so the full charge time is only 1.5 hours, and according to the developers, just 10 minutes “at the outlet” allows you to charge the smartphone for subsequent four-hour use.

Bottom line

Samsung did a great job on their next flagship: if the beauty of the design is a matter of taste, and here opinions may differ, then in terms of hardware Galaxy smartphones S6 can be safely given the highest score. Performance is at the maximum level, but at the same time, autonomy is also high, which is good news. Having one of the best cameras in its category is also a very significant point, although this aspect is not important for everyone. The screen quality and sound are at a very decent level, the network capabilities of the smartphone satisfy any needs. In addition, the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge has most of the flagship features, from a fingerprint scanner to an IR port and support for wireless charging. True, and worth it new smartphone more expensive than all its competitors, but this issue is beyond the scope of our review and remains entirely on the conscience of the seller.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is an extraordinary smartphone, and based on the totality of its characteristics, it simply cannot fail to receive our award for original design. But I would especially like to highlight its unusual screen and express the hope that in the future we will see even more daring experiments in this area and discover new applications for “curved” screens.

Today we are looking at the sixth generation of Samsung’s flagship smartphone – the Galaxy S6. However, not on the original model, but on the Edge - exactly the same, only with curved edges. Last year, Samsung introduced not one Galaxy Note 4, but two in exactly the same way: and with .

Video review of Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

I realized that I'm so old that I reviewed everyone Galaxy generations S. The smartphone has come a long way, models were more successful and less so, there were those that were associated with other smartphones, there were those that looked soapy... But from the second half of 2014, the company’s vision began to change dramatically. First we saw what was amazing in my opinion, which I still use and which I consider the best smartphone on the market, then there was the cool Alpha in a very nice case, the A line, in which, for some reason, metal was camouflaged as plastic, and now we saw the crowning achievement of this vision. The new Galaxy S6 turned out to be very beautiful and pleasant, and the S6 Edge is even more interesting. Of course, because of its edges.

There is no doubt that Samsung is showing its capabilities to a greater extent. Only for the first time they made an asymmetrical smartphone with one curved edge and began to explain this primarily with new functionality (I even), but now they have really created beautiful smartphone with an emphasis on design. I like this explanation much better. Well, to be fair, everyone likes the new Galaxy S6, as far as I can tell from personal observations. This is how high technology helped designers!

The only thing is that I like the regular S6 better. Firstly, it visually uses more metal, and secondly, it is more practical, since the curved glass edges will break more easily if dropped. But we'll talk about it next time.

Looking at the design new Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, you understand that Samsung has changed its course dramatically. Smartphones used to be more practical, but this often made them feel cheaper than they actually were. But in the S5 the cover was removed (which did not break when dropped), under the cover there was a removable battery and a slot for a memory card. In addition, the smartphone was protected according to the IP67 standard from moisture and dust. Now all this is gone!

But only Gorilla Glass 4 and aluminum are used in the case materials. Which, as they said at the presentation, is 50% stronger than in the iPhone 6 - and the S6 will not bend. The assembly, as you would expect from such a design, is perfect. The only thing is that I’m really scared to imagine what would happen if my smartphone fell on the tiles...

Unlike the Galaxy A line and the Note 4/Edge model, the metal in the S6 was not painted, and rightly so. Some chips appeared on the coating on my Note 4, I wrote about this in, nothing like that will happen here. In general, I also like the new design, the main thing is that now no one will definitely say that the flagship Samsung looks cheap. I wonder what the Note 5 will be like now?

Of the elements located on the sides, I’d like to note the IR port, it’s cool that they didn’t kill it, as well as the fingerprint scanner. It's still built into the home key, but now you don't have to fiddle with it with your finger, just touch it. It works much better, but there are still a lot of false positives. And given the impossibility of setting a simple password for an alternative unlock, sometimes you have to worry about entering numbers and letters.

Display

The screen has been the most important part of a smartphone for about 8 years now. Whatever one may say, it takes up the most space, it is what you constantly look at, and it is through the display that all communication with the smartphone takes place. And here we have not just a display, it’s just magic! No, really, really cool. Despite the fact that the S6 Edge uses the curved sides more as part of the design, there is a functional load on them. Exactly the same as in Note Edge, on the side edge (and here you can choose which one) you can place a night clock, news and some other application strips.

Due to the fact that the screen is Super AMOLED, information can only be displayed on a certain part of the display. That is, night hours will practically not drain the battery. In addition, it became possible to hang 5 selected contacts on one of the faces and assign a color to each. Then, if you put your smartphone face down and one of these contacts calls you, you will know who it is without picking up the phone, since the light from the curved edge will be reflected on the surface. I use Pebble watches for this.

Like the original model, the resolution of the 5.1″ display is 2560x1440 pixels. Pixel density per inch – 577.

At certain angles you can see some slight greenery, but this has not been a problem for a long time. White color is as close to real as possible. The only thing is that due to the bending of the glass, the curved edges at some angles of inclination refract the colors of the display. Visible against a white background.

Camera

The camera is the most important component of a smartphone for me because I take photos all the time. Instapota, lapography, you know... And for myself, I only consider those smartphones that take good pictures. Since the first generation, Samsung Galaxy S has been ahead of most competitors in this regard, and the S6 is no exception.

It has a very good camera, which is perhaps the best in a smartphone today. The main 16 MP sensor (in 4:3 format - 12 MP) with optical stabilization and aperture ratio of 1.9 allows you to achieve high-quality images even in low light. The front one is now 5 MP with a wide capture angle. The software has changed, it has become much simpler, and now everything fits everywhere on one display. There are many nice features, one of them is that you can take selfies simply by touching the heart rate sensor on the back. Unlike the previous generation, it works very cool!

Sample photos

Example of video recording in 1080p

Example of video recording on the front camera

Specifications

Another fundamental difference from previous generations was the absence of a version with a Snapdragon processor from Qualcomm. They say it's due to overheating. I don’t know how it was, but the Exynos 7420 is physically more technologically advanced than the new Snapdragon 810. It is made using a 14 nm process technology, as opposed to the latter’s 20 nm. This means it must be more energy efficient. Graphics - Mali T760, 3 GB RAM. Built-in memory from 32 GB. Judging by the benchmarks, the smartphone has a huge performance reserve. However, tanks, unfortunately, still do not run with maximum graphics settings, as on iOS. But these are features of the adaptation of the game.

The glory of the Galaxy Note phablets began to fade, and Samsung decided to come up with something new. The success of the Galaxy S6 edge introduced in the spring showed that the company is moving in the right direction. The unusual appearance of the smartphone attracts attention. What need to do? That's right, the same thing, but more. Meet the Galaxy S6 edge+.

But beautiful

People are tired of comparing processors with each other and delving into the essence of benchmarks. When a smartphone costs under a thousand dollars, you just want to get a beautiful device that you don’t want to let go of. And the Galaxy S6 edge+ gives such emotions. Finally, Samsung has found its strong point. Compared to them, curved LG screens look completely different, but no one knows how to bend screens anymore.

We would like to note that compared to the “regular S6 edge”, its larger brother has become more convenient. Why? The model has become larger, now the wide smartphone occupies most of the palm without digging into it, the edges have become a little larger.

Despite the combination of glass and aluminum, the model does not seem slippery at all. The sides rest against the palm of your hand, and unlike the iPhone 6 Plus, there is no fear that the gadget will slip out. In addition, compared to the Apple phablet, the Korean new product came out very compact, so to speak about a smartphone with a 5.7-inch screen. But the diagonal is larger, and the dimensions are smaller. Apple is on the rise again.

back side glamorous life is dirty. The shiny glass body is very easy to get dirty, so in the fight for appearance you have to regularly wipe the body with a cloth. We can advise you to pay attention to the light version, it looks more attractive. By the way, the IR port that was on the S6 edge has disappeared from the top end.

Galaxy S6 edge+ does not differ in design from the regular S6 edge. More due to the enlarged screen, but we have already seen the cool curved design, metal and glass. However, the smartphone has not ceased to be spectacular.

As good as it gets

The image quality is very high, this is one of best screens among mobile devices on the market. 5.7 inches, resolution 2560x1440 pixels, Super AMOLED - this combination can only be found in Samsung.

Details of the implementation of double-sided bending are in the review of the regular S6 edge. In the plus size version, everything is exactly the same: impressive, unusual, convenient: we’ll talk about notifications and special modes further.

Detailed testing the screen was conducted by our expert Mikhail Kuznetsov:

The Samsung GALAXY S6 edge+ smartphone boasts a 5.7-inch OLED screen (or Super AMOLED in the company's nomenclature), representing the latest technology. Its resolution is 2560x1440 (Quad HD), and the pixel density is off the charts - 518 ppi. Naturally, there is no need to complain about image clarity.

The actual brightness of an OLED display depends on the nature of the image. In the worst case - with a white fill on the entire screen - you can get 450 cd/m2, which can already be considered a good result. But if the smartphone is in auto mode in bright sunshine, then the screen brightness can increase up to 786 cd/m2. This is an unprecedented level of brightness for a smartphone, leaving even the recent Note 5 a little behind. The anti-glare properties, viewing angles and contrast of OLED are simply excellent, which adds points to the S6 edge+ screen.

Speaking about color reproduction, you need to take into account that the Samsung GALAXY S6 edge+ has four color profiles designed for different tastes and needs. They are quite different from each other.

The screen of the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ turned out to be excellent; there are few differences from the Note 5. The outstanding performance of the OLED display is supported by several color profiles, some of which are both accurate and flashy. A very versatile and impressive screen that can easily be customized to suit your tastes.

What's the benefit

Thanks to the screen curved on both sides, you can not only get a sense of volume while viewing photos or videos. Samsung has thought about how to make the most of this concept by offering the following options.

We select five contacts with whom we communicate more often than others, each of them receives its own specific color. Then during incoming call It will be easy to identify the caller using the backlight. Another option is quick access to one of five applications of the user's choice. In addition, notifications about new messages or calls, time or weather data, as well as news information flow are included here.

Where is everything else?

We will not repeat the story about the characteristics of the smartphone. We have already tested the Galaxy S6 edge and Note 5, the models are identical, the only difference is the lack of a stylus on the S6 edge+. Therefore, do not be surprised by the short review, because the point is to save your time. Look at the benchmark measurements in comparison with competitors - everything is approximately the same.

We just note that the operating time of edge+ is slightly higher than that of the “regular” edge. The results themselves coincide with the measurements we carried out for Note 5. We get about 10-11 hours of playback in video mode, about 3.5-4 hours in games and more than 7 hours in PCMark.

As for the camera, it is also exactly the same. The module and shooting algorithms have not changed compared to the Galaxy Note 5. And why change something that is already one of the best on the market? Look at the gallery of pictures, in our opinion, there is nothing to complain about:

These are sample pictures of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5. Its camera is exactly the same as the S6 edge+. That is, one of the best among existing smartphones.

The phablet has support for LTE Cat.9. In theory this gives very fast Mobile Internet: 300 Mbit/s to the subscriber and 50 Mbit/s from the subscriber. But in fact, such networks are available only in a few cities in Russia, so this function will not play a special role when choosing a gadget. But it's still nice.

Bloggers will like an interesting feature - the phablet can stream videos directly to YouTube. All you have to do is launch the camera, select a mode, and log in to your account. After this, you can broadcast without any additional equipment.

We also note the presence of optical stabilization in the front camera, which is very rare now. Together with Note 5, this is the world's first smartphone with this feature. Examples of selfies below.

OPINION HI-TECH.MAIL.RU

Marketers should come up with a shorter name; “GalexiessixEdPlus” sounds like a medieval alchemist’s spell. But these are nitpicks: Samsung has turned out to be a real flagship. It differs from the “small” S6 edge by a noticeably larger screen, larger battery capacity and better operating time, and an improved front camera. Is it worth the overpayment of 12 thousand rubles? After all, the regular s6 edge costs 43 thousand rubles, and the edge+ is already 55 thousand rubles. (prices for variations with 32 GB of memory). Unlikely: the price is too high. In general, due to price wars, the S6/S6 edge pair turned out best choice among flagship smartphones, and it’s hard to compete with it not only for other companies, but also for Samsung’s own new products.

Other competitors? The ubiquitous iPhone 6 Plus. It makes no sense to compare a Samsung gadget with other devices; they have a lower class. Among such devices are the HTC One M9+ and Sony Xperia Z3+ (but they have 5.2 inches - not enough), LG G4 (5.5 inches), and unofficially you can order the much more affordable Xiaomi Mi Note Pro. But the IFA exhibition and Sony's flagship are approaching, as well as the presentation of the new generation iPhone. That's when the real battle comes.

pros

• Spectacular appearance
• Great screen
• Great camera
• 4 GB RAM and LTE cat.9
• Fast charging

Minuses

• No memory card
• Average battery capacity
• No 128 GB version and 2 SIM cards in the standard version

Source Hi-Tech.Mail.Ru

Contents of delivery

• Telephone
• Charger with USB cable
• Wired stereo headset
• SIM Card Clip
• Instructions

Specifications

• Android 5.0.2 (5.1 in early summer), latest generation TouchWiz shell
• 5.1 inches, SuperAMOLED screen, 577 ppi, 2560x1440 pixels, automatic brightness adjustment
• Exynos 7420 chipset, 8 cores (4 A53 cores, 4 A57 cores), maximum clock frequency up to 2.1 GHz, 64 bit
• MALI-T760 GPU
• 3 GB LPDDR4 RAM, no memory cards
• 32/64/128 GB of internal memory, UFS 2.0
• Front camera 5 megapixels, main camera 16 megapixels, OIS, True HDR, autofocus tracking, F 1.9, white balance detection using an IR sensor, Pro shooting mode;
• Payment system Samsung Pay
• Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), HT80 MIMO(2x2) 620Mbps, Dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, Mobile hotspot, Bluetooth®: v4.1, A2DP, LE, apt-X, ANT+, USB 2.0, NFC, IR port for controlling household appliances
• LTE cat.6
• Wireless charger, built into the case (WPC1.1(4.6W Output) & PMA 1.0(4.2W))
• Li-Ion 2600 mAh battery, extreme power saving mode, fast charging in one hour
• Dimensions – 142.1 x 70.1 x 7.0 mm, weight – 132 grams

Positioning

Samsung has never sought to create expensive versions of its flagships; the first experiment can be considered the Note EDGE, which was released in tandem with the regular Note 4. This was a reconnaissance in force, in which they tried to determine how much demand there would be for an exact copy of the flagship with a curved edge, which does not provide , by and large, no real advantages; scenarios for working with such a screen have not yet been invented. Just look at the ruler that was placed on this bend - a flight of fancy, but not a real necessity.

Unexpectedly, it turned out that the Note EDGE became popular, often preferred over the Note 4. Buyers of this device did not choose it for its unique technical feature, but rather for its cost, which was the maximum for such devices. That is, the image component of the price played a role here, but the bending of the screen seemed to confirm it. It must be said that none of the manufacturers made such devices, so there was a certain novelty in this. For Samsung, this without any special costs increased profits, and at the same time loyalty of the audience that wanted to stand out. A sort of phone option for showing off.

The mass flagship S6 decided to do exactly the same and released the EDGE version, rounding the screen on both sides, but not doing it so clearly. However, this was enough for the model to be perceived completely differently. If S6 is often called a copy of the iPhone 6, then no one says this about EDGE; moreover, it is called original. Let me remind you that the only difference is in the curvature of the screen on both sides. Intentionally or unwittingly, the device turned out to be unusual, there are no analogues on the market, and that means it will attract attention. It will be chosen by those who are not limited in funds, looking for a convenient model in order to work, and at the same time get an image effect.

Inside Samsung, until the last moment they could not decide on price positioning EDGE: Should the gap be the same as the Note models, or smaller? The pragmatic approach apparently wins, the difference will be 5 thousand rubles. As you understand, the cost of EDGE is higher. In my opinion, EDGE may well lay claim to the title of a unique device, which is rare by today's standards. And for those who don’t want to be like others, this is a truly interesting model. It will not suit everyone, moreover, it cannot be considered mass, however, it is not positioned as such. But for its consumer this device will be extremely pleasant and will provide something that other models cannot.

Design, dimensions, control elements

The phone turned out to be compact for such a screen diagonal, its dimensions are 142.1x70.1x7 mm, weight - 132 grams (for comparison, S6 - 143.4x70.5x6.8 mm, 138 grams). Fits well in the hand and does not slip.

The side frame and back wall are made of metal, special attention was paid to the strength characteristics, it cannot be bent even with great effort. This was especially emphasized at the presentation. Since Samsung decided that the model should pamper the consumer with variety, they presented it in many colors. To achieve this, the back wall is painted over and covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 4. Exactly the same glass covers the front surface. To avoid creating confusion, Samsung calls the glass fourth generation, but in fact, it differs from what other manufacturers get (fewer scratches, more drop resistance, which is important with such a screen). You can call this piece of glass Gorilla Glass 4+, although this name will be very arbitrary.

Each color has a metallic look due to the glass; they play well in the sun. Just like on Sony devices, hand marks remain on the glass; it is easily soiled, but not excessively. In bright light the marks are almost invisible, but in the room they become noticeable.

Unlike the S6, you can feel the cut of the body in your hand; it is sharp. Some may not like it, while others may not pay any attention to it. For aesthetes, the fact that the camera on the back surface protrudes a little over a millimeter will also be an irritation; it was not made flush with the glass.

Compared to Galaxy S6

Compared to Galaxy S5

Compared to Sony Xperia Z3

The SIM card tray is located at the top end, there is also an IR port for controlling household appliances and a microphone, and another microphone is located at the bottom end. There is also a microUSB connector (USB 2.0), 3.5 mm for a headset or headphones, and a speaker output. The power button is on the right side, the volume keys are on the left.

On the back surface, in addition to the flash, there is a heart rate sensor; it also performs a number of other functions; more about this in the section about S Health. There is a physical button on the front panel, it contains a fingerprint sensor (you can unlock the device by placing your finger, no need to swipe it). There are also two touch keys, everything is familiar to other devices from Samsung. There is a proximity sensor above the screen, as well as front-camera 5 megapixels.

One of the branded accessories is a plastic case, which is made in metallic style. My device is green and looks pretty good.

The case is quite easily soiled, despite the fact that an oleophobic coating was added to it. It will have to be wiped down frequently, and this may not be suitable for some. One of the advantages I would like to note is that the phone in the case fits better in the hand, the edges do not cut into it. The downside is that you lose the original look of the device, it becomes difficult to distinguish the S6 from the S6 EDGE, and the side edges are covered, becoming non-functional or of limited use.

The case recognizes your taps (more precisely, the screen), so you can answer calls, view messages, control music, and so on. This is quite convenient, since you do not need to open the lid, you see all the messages in front of you.

The build quality of the device is excellent, there can be no complaints. The phone is much stronger than similar devices from Sony, and outperforms the iPhone 6, which often cracks the glass after a slight fall (it has regular tempered glass). Here, durability is brought to the fore, the device is wearable.

Display

Screen 5.1 inches diagonal, SuperAMOLED, 577 ppi, 2560x1440 pixels, automatic brightness adjustment. This is one of the best screens from Samsung; it traditionally has customizable colors - from bright and sometimes acidic to muted. Here everyone will choose their own option, but the main thing is that according to the reviews of professionals testing screens in various devices, AMOLED matrices in previous models have already become very accurate in terms of color reproduction and behavior in the sun. In this device, the quality of the screen has increased even more, the brightness of the backlight has been improved (everything is readable in the sun with a bang).

The high density of dots per inch makes the picture smooth, but you won’t be able to tell the difference with previous models by eye. Other characteristics (contrast, brightness, etc.) come to the fore.

The screen curvature in the EDGE is not very large, it is noticeably less than in the same Note EDGE. And, as a result, it is more comfortable, all the main menus are presented on the entire surface of the screen, it does not go to waste.

In life, the bend is beautiful, but not at all practical. So, on the street the sun always refracts the left side and the picture glares and is not entirely visible.

When working in the browser, the beginning of the address line is exactly on the left bend, click and get into right place difficult. There are quite a lot of such “little things”, the interface has not been redesigned to fit the screen in any way, it is standard, and this has its price - reduced ergonomics.

Communication capabilities

If you can imagine that a device has all possible technologies, then this is the case with the S6/S6 EDGE. I’ll just list them all: Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), HT80 MIMO(2x2) 620Mbps, Dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, Mobile hotspot, Bluetooth®: v4. 1, A2DP, LE, apt-X, ANT+, USB 2.0, NFC, IR port for controlling household appliances.

Memory, RAM, performance

Telephone - full copy S6, so I’ll repeat what was said in the review of that device.

The device has 3 GB of RAM (LDPPR4), which has a maximum bandwidth of 3.2 GB/s (64 bits) today. The built-in memory capacity may vary - 32, 64 and 128 GB. The memory type is UFS 2.0, which also provides maximum write and read speeds; it is actually an SSD array. The speed of the memory subsystem is such that no other device yet has comparable characteristics.

The Exynos 7420 chipset belongs to the latest generation, made at 14 nm. Technically, this is an 8-core solution, 4 Cortex-A53 cores, 4 Cortex A57 cores. The graphics core is Mali T-760, but its version is updated compared to Note 4 (more frequency, etc.). This is also the most fast processor of the existing ones, which, together with the memory, makes this device very fast. In life, he just flies, there are no brakes at all (Android 5 also contributes to this). During my time with the phone, I did not experience any slowdowns or application crashes.

And here's what the results look like in synthetic tests. These are the best values ​​possible for devices of this kind. With performance in synthetic tests, everything is more or less clear, see the values ​​below.

More interesting is how the device behaves in three-dimensional tests, that is, how predisposed it is to graphics, because GPU MALI has always been inferior to similar solutions from Qualcomm, and even more so from NVidia. Increased frequency, eight cores - all this, in theory, should contribute to performance, but on the other side there is an increased screen resolution.

There are other tests, we present their values ​​here.

But it was interesting to see how, for example, Epic Citadel is going. In the initial test on an almost clean device, the result was about 60 frames per second.

But then, when I tried to repeat it, it turned out that the program produces, at best, 50 frames, and after heating, even 30 frames. This is one of the Galaxy S6's weakest points in terms of performance - the 3D graphics and how repeatable the results you get.

Having looked at the 3D toys, I can say that the range of results in Dead Trigger 2, NOVA3, Asphalt 8, Real Racing 3 is from 30 to 60 frames per second. In some games the level stays at 60 almost constantly, in some it is closer to 30. But this is with maximum settings for textures, resolution, and so on. Even taking this into account, you as a user will not see any problems in the game, since stuttering at 30 frames per second simply does not exist. And this is the lowest value.

For those who want to approach performance in a straightforward and stupid way, I recommend that you definitely compare the gaming component in GTA, since this game is not optimized for MALI graphics, does not load the best textures and is guaranteed to have problems with graphics display. In my opinion, this is a flaw in the game and a lack of optimization for a specific platform, but as an example of “disadvantages” it will do. Today the question is 3D games It’s simple – for which platform they are optimized and how well. The same solutions from NVidia tear everyone apart in terms of 3D performance and graphics rendering quality, but they are not popular. Apparently, not everyone needs this.

Battery

The built-in battery has a capacity of 2600 mAh (2550 mAh in S6), operating time is approximately a full working day under load. This is about 2 and a half hours of screen operation, data transfer in 4G. The video device plays for 11 hours.

The question that worries many is whether the battery is dead or not? While I don’t have an obvious answer to this, I need to work with the device and see what comes out. The phone has fast charging, you can fully charge it in an hour, which is not bad. It also supports several wireless charging formats, everything is built into the case, you don’t need to buy anything additional. But I don’t think this option will be in demand by many buyers.

One of the nice things to note is that fast charging of the battery is supported - it takes one hour. If you use a regular 2A charger, the battery charging time will be 2 hours. The phone has built-in wireless charging that supports several formats, meaning you can buy a branded device or any other. I had a charger from Lumia (DT-601, Qi standard) on hand; it charges the device perfectly.

You shouldn't expect this model to last as long as the Note 4. But the result turned out to be slightly higher than that of the iPhone 6 with the same load (number of calls, data transferred). The difference is almost imperceptible; we can say that these devices live for the same time. Again, for most people this will be full time.

Camera

A separate detailed and extensive material is devoted to a description of the camera and all its capabilities.

Working with a side face

Unlike Note EDGE, the ideology of the side edge has changed slightly. First, you can choose where the information will be displayed, on the left side of the screen or on the right. Moreover, I note that you cannot turn the picture 180 degrees. The opportunity to put your wallpaper on this strip has disappeared; it is very narrow. By and large, there is only night mode, which displays the time and temperature from the weather forecast, you can set the interval up to 12 hours when this information is shown.

You can display the information flow, these are news headlines that will crawl to the side. Not a very necessary option. The main settings revolve around the five contacts you can add to your sidebar. Each contact has its own color. If events are missed, the device can highlight the edge with this color, that is, you see what happened and know who called or wrote to you. The trick is not too sophisticated, but it works quite well in practice. Does it make this device very different from the same S6? Definitely not, they are approximately the same and are perceived at the same level.

Software features – Android 5.x and TouchWiz

In order not to repeat myself, I refer you to a detailed review of the Galaxy S6, where all aspects of the menu operation and functions of the device are discussed in detail.

Additional accessories for Galaxy S6/S6 EDGE

For several years now, Samsung has been creating the widest possible range of accessories for its flagships. Starting with 6, the set comes with headphones of a new design, which are built similarly to Level In, provide good sound and are noticeably better than the previous model.

In terms of cooperation with famous brands, I would like to mention cases from Burton, protective cases with crystals from Swarovski, leather covers from Montblanc, women's handbag cases from Rebecca Minkoff, cases painted by Britto. These accessories are almost impossible to find on the market; their cost is very high.

Now let's look at the standard set of accessories, they are completely the same for the two models, only the article number and color options differ. Wireless charging is available in two colors – white and dark gray. I recommend taking a dark color, since the rubber insert at the top, which prevents the phone from sliding, gets dirty very quickly on white. A dark color is more practical.

The QI 1.1 standard is supported (backwards compatible with 1.0), charging speed is about 4-5 hours, which is typical for such devices. Price charger in Russia will be 3,490 rubles. The fast charger included in the kit costs 2,000 rubles if you buy it separately, so you shouldn’t lose it. Same price for car charging, supporting Quick Charge technology.

A regular transparent bumper covering the back of the phone will cost 2,590 rubles.

But the opaque cover can be of almost any color, it is of good quality, but it also needs to be matched to the color of the phone so that they match. Its price is 2,290 rubles.

The book case is also available in different colors, the price is 2,990 rubles; these types of cases make the device very thick.

The S View Cover with a window has become very popular. Different fabric or leather, a huge number of colors - all together create an alternative. You can activate the camera, enable dialing of favorite numbers, listen to music, open the quick shortcuts panel - the latter was previously unavailable. In the video I show how this case works, it's worth watching. But the price is steep - 4,490 rubles.

The mirrored book case can also be selected in different colors, it has an NFC tag, so Chinese craftsmen will not do anything like that. In the closed state, you can answer calls, reject messages and reminders. There is no need to open the device.

You can see how all these accessories work in our video.

Impression

I was pleasantly surprised by the loudness of the Samsung S6 speaker, despite the fact that there is only one speaker and is located at the end - it is very clear and loud, the device is clearly audible in different conditions. In the video I showed the differences with the S5, they are noticeable to the naked eye. We can say that the sound is one of the loudest and most pleasant devices from the company. The vibration alert is average in strength, there are no achievements here.

The phone's connection quality is not satisfactory in any way. I tried to find differences from my Note 4, but could not find them. The quality of work in LTE is also flawless; I noticed that the phone is better able to connect to Wi-Fi networks than the Note 4. Subjectively, it seemed that in general the quality of communication was a little better.

I like how the one touch fingerprint works, you can watch this feature in the video.

The speed of launching the camera from any menu is less than a second. Just press the Home key twice. And it's convenient. The camera is excellent and comparable to the Note 4, which I consider (and not only me) the best device on the market in this regard.

Among the advantages of the S6 EDGE, I would like to note its unusual design, which will be an argument in its favor for many people. I was confused by the bend, and it seemed like there was a waste of space, but in reality you quickly get used to it, the inconvenience is tolerable and does not irritate you in everyday use. Although the S6 is noticeably better in terms of ergonomics.

The TouchWiz shell has become visually simpler, while maintaining its main features. I can’t say that I like it one hundred percent, but it has the right to life and is quite convenient in everyday work. The contacts on the side are also convenient, although this is an additional feature, you can safely not use it. I really liked the outer case, which transforms the device and makes it more interesting. True, the appearance is lost, and this will not suit many.

After getting to know each other more closely, I have no doubt that if I choose between the S6 and S6 EDGE, I will most likely choose the second device, it turned out to be more interesting. The difference in cost for Russia is 5 thousand rubles, that is, the S6 EDGE will cost up to 54,990 rubles. In the new price realities, this is a lot, and you definitely shouldn’t expect huge sales. But they will be, just like in Europe and other countries of the world.

The S6 EDGE has its own unique design feature; this device has no analogues, and this is a strong argument in its favor. I repeat that ergonomics suffer a little, but this is not so critical, although the S6 is more convenient. Personally, I am torn between the two of these models, and if above I said that I would most likely choose the S6 EDGE, then after a couple of paragraphs I think that maybe it’s worth taking the regular S6.